Spider-Man 2 left a good impression on players, but some players may want more or cannot play on PlayStation 5. It would be far too easy to put the original Marvel’s Spider-Man games in here, so we’re not going to do that for this superheroic list!
Top superhero games similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
15 – Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001)
Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro is the oldest game on this list. Its age has brought it to the bottom of the barrel, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still fun. It features a diverse cast of characters, including Electro, Shocker, and the X-Men. Players can swing through some city streets as Spider-Man and fight enemies in hand-to-hand combat. While this can get repetitive, the game does a great job of making you feel like a superhero. The game has a great story. It follows Spider-Man as he tries to stop Electro from taking over New York City. This was also the first and one of the only games that let players unlock new costumes and abilities for Spider-Man.
14 – The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005)
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is well-beloved because it was one of the first superhero games that made you feel powerful. Players can freely unleash the Hulk’s incredible power, from smashing buildings to battling hordes of enemies. You can use the open-world city that is fully destructible. Every punch and car you throw can do damage to things around you, which makes you feel unstoppable. The storyline was okay, but most people came just to smash things.
13 – X-Men Legends (2004)
X-Men Legends is the precursor to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. It was one of the first games to do superhero matchups well, and they used the X-Men, which is a great team. There are a lot of mutants you get to choose from, each with unique abilities and personalities which make the game feel different based on your chosen members. Not only can you assemble your dream team, but the game’s multiplayer mode also lets you play with friends.
Great gameplay would be one thing, but the story is also top-tier. You’re trying to save a student who’d been kidnapped, but it can feel like you’re reading a comic thanks to the dialogue.
12 – Batman: The Telltale Series (2016)
A huge risk was taken when Telltale got a lot of IPs to work with around the same time as Batman: The Telltale Series. It is clear, however, that Telltale’s demise was not caused by a lack of storytelling, as demonstrated by their Batman series. Telltale does a great job showing how difficult it is to balance a life as Batman and his mask, Bruce Wayne (that’s right).
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Batman wants to bring justice to Gotham, but the choices he makes have many consequences. While some instances are character-breaking and would definitely never happen in the comics, it’s still overall a great game.
11 – Prototype (2009)
You are kind of a hero in Prototype because you’re fighting a shady government. The game gives players a sense of power because there’s nothing you really can’t do as Alex Mercer. Like Hulk, you have total destructive powers and you are free to wreak havoc in an open-world New York City. The game’s narrative revolves around a mysterious viral outbreak and Alex’s quest for identity, but by the end, you’re just a total destruction machine. The dynamic movement system highlights parkour in a way that Assassin’s Creed failed to do multiple times over. It’s just overall fantastic.
10 – Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a fun superhero game because it’s funny, anyone can play it, and it has a roster of tons of Marvel characters. The game’s overall roster has about 200 heroes and villains. You get to play in the open-world Chronopolis and a bunch of iconic Marvel locations to find. Some puzzles are a little on the hard side but are good for those who want a challenge. All this gets better when you play with friends because the drop-in and out is pretty seamless.
9 – Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013)
Injustice: Gods Among Us is the only game that will be fighting-focused on this list. The reason is because it’s one of the best superhero games ever made. It’s so good that it made it back into the comics and into movies. It has a compelling storyline, a large cast of characters, and gameplay made by the developers of the king of fighting games (Mortal Kombat). The game is set in an alternate DC Universe where Superman is now a bad guy for reasons explained in the story. Obviously, the only one who constantly beats Superman in fights, Batman, stands up to him and leads the resistance. It sparked a sequel that is still played to this day, and fans are eagerly awaiting the third installment.
8 – Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)
People missed out on Shattered Dimensions because Spider-Man games were not getting much attention at the time. Several Spider-Man realities collide due to rifts in space-time caused by mystical artifacts. Throughout the game, players encounter a variety of iconic villains and Spider-Men from different dimensions.
There are four different dimensions in this game, each featuring a different Spider-Man character. It is done really well, allowing you to play as different Spider-Man versions, each with their own abilities and gameplay dynamics.
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7 – Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 features a huge roster of playable characters, including many popular Marvel superheroes and villains. This allows players to select from a variety of heroes when playing the game, allowing them to customize them based on their preferences.
This game played off the Civil War comics much better than the movies did. The story follows Captain America and Iron Man as they lead their respective factions in a civil war over the Superhero Registration Act. Anti-Registration forever! The conflict pits some of Marvel’s most iconic characters against one another, which makes for an engaging story. I highly recommend you try this game if you haven’t already. Imagine Marvel’s Avengers game but good.
6 – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021)
So many people slept on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy just because of Marvel’s Avengers. Marvel’s Avengers was so poorly received because of bad microtransaction practices, a limp story, and okay gameplay. This hurt the next game that seemed kind of the same, which was Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
This is like playing through a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It’s incredibly well-written, insanely fun, and has a bunch of stuff to unlock for free. It took a hit and it was good enough to have been a game-of-the-year contender. The game does a great job of capturing the spirit of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it’s clear that the developers have a lot of love for the franchise.
5 – Ultimate Spider-Man (2005)
With its captivating storyline and comic book art style, Ultimate Spider-Man makes you feel like you’re in a Spider-Man comic book. The story is great and it shows comic strips, so it’s like you’re reading a comic. The gameplay is almost the same as Spider-Man 2 with Tobey Maguire. Despite the fact that Ultimate Spider-Man still has the same web-swinging, I found it to be quite different. As I flew through the air, it felt a lot less controlled and a lot more wild, as if I wasn’t in control of my speed or smoothness.
The player switches between Spider-Man and Venom, each with their own unique abilities and gameplay styles. Similarly to the comic, Venom in this game eats people whole. He’s a villain for real, but he’s still fun to play.
4- Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
Before Batman: Arkham Asylum, most superhero games were considered shovelware. Taking Batman back to his roots as a detective and a gritty crime fighter was Arkham Asylum’s defining characteristic. If you’ve never read the comics, you might wonder what makes Batman the Dark Knight. Then you see Batman break a dude’s bone after the criminal gave up the information Batman wanted. Why? Because Batman needs them to fear him.
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This is when studios started to make great superhero games because it showed there was a market there.
3- InFamous (2009)
There are a number of reasons why inFamous is a great superhero game. Cole MacGrath is a regular guy who is given superpowers after being caught in a lightning explosion. It is then up to him to decide whether he should use his powers for good or for evil. In comes the morality system, which was a new concept at the time. Your choices throughout the game will affect Cole’s alignment, which will in turn affect the story and gameplay. This gives players a lot of control over the game’s narrative, and it makes the game more replayable.
In addition to flying and fighting enemies, Cole can also solve puzzles using his lightning powers. As well as a variety of different enemies to fight, the game offers plenty of opportunities to explore its open world and discover new things.
2 – Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 was the superhero game that paved the way for other superhero games. This was the best Spider-Man game until Marvel’s Spider-Man came. A lot of the new series of games was taken from this one. The standout factor was the web-swinging, which was the first game to make it feel real. You felt like Spider-Man for real, with no limitations.
It does follow the movie’s plot, but the most fun is when you’re just doing side missions. Rescuing a child’s balloon, delivering pizzas, and stopping high-speed chases make you feel like Spider-Man. If anything, Marvel’s Spider-Man is the spiritual successor to this game.
1 – Batman: Arkham City (2011)
This was arguably the best game in the Arkham series. This made you feel like Batman patrolling the streets, and it still holds up today. Gotham Knights looks and plays like it was made years before Arkham City. Arkham City may only be a small part of Gotham, but it’s still large and takes time to get from one end to the other. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill’s performances will leave you speechless by the end of the story. It is without a doubt one of the best DC games of all time, and it will remain unbeatable for a long time.
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